Things Change
by AcidRain1698
Summary: You can't just assume that everything will always be the same, because things change. Especially people. And sometimes, the things we can't change, end up changing us. Nalu "Life is Strange" AU. Rated T for language and underaged drug/alcohol use; rating may change.
1. Heavy On Your Shoulders

**Author's Note: hey, guys! This story was originally supposed to be another chapter for _Eyes Wide Open_ , but it was going so well and it was turning out to be longer than I anticipated, so I decided to just make it its own story! This is heavily based off of the video game Life Is Strange, just without all the time-travel and such. For those of you who haven't played it, I highly recommend it. It's got such a good story, the gameplay is so interesting, and Max and Chloe are just too cute! Those of you who _have_ played it, rest easy. There will be angst (lots of it), but no character death. I promise. I might have to make it rated M, ****depending on how... certain things go.**

 **I hope you guys had amazing holidays, no matter what you celebrate, and I hope you guys have a happy new year! Here's to 2018 not sucking as hard as 2017 did, right? Enjoy the first chapter! This story will only be 3-4 chapters, but they will be relatively long. Love you guys, leave a review, and see you in 2018!**

* * *

Heavy On Your Shoulders

 _Disturbing silence darkens your sight  
We'll cast some light and you'll be alright  
People staring, they know you've been broken  
Ignore them tonight and you'll be alright_

* * *

The town of Magnolia was so peaceful, pedestrians chattering softly with each other, the leaves that still remained in the trees dancing with one another as the gentle, mid-autumn wind blew softly through the branches. Cobblestone sidewalks running alongside almost empty roads, a good portion of the citizens preferring to walk or ride their bikes than drive a car, leaves of red, orange, and yellow littering streets. The whole atmosphere of this town was a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of Crocus, something that Lucy had missed for the last couple years.

She'd almost forgotten what it was like to enjoy a leisurely stroll around town.

Lucy was eleven the last time she was in Magnolia, her hometown. Her father moved them to Crocus to be closer to the heart of his business, slowly draining the life out of her. Nothing was really _wrong_ with Crocus, per se; it was a beautiful city, chock-full of blooming flowers year round and people that were friendly enough. But she felt more at home in a small town, where everyone knew each other, where street vendors lined up on Main Street, where the buildings and overall landscape of the town was more outdated, no where close to modernized.

Now that she was seventeen, she was finally able to return to her true home, due to the scholarship to a fancy fine arts program she gets to enjoy with her final year of high school. To say that she was happy to be back in Magnolia would be the understatement of the year. She was _thrilled._ She couldn't wait to become reacquainted with this town and its people.

She pulled her jacket in tighter around her body as she suppressed a shiver. It was starting to get cold, something she had become unaccustomed to while in Crocus. It didn't get very cold that often over there, staying at a constant warm temperature all year, with a couple of chilly days that usually came with rain, which is why they are able to produce so many flowers year round. She was going to have to readjust her threshold for temperatures in both extremes, since it didn't get that hot over there either. Whereas in Magnolia, the summers could blister and the winters could bite.

But she didn't care. It was a beautiful town, regardless of the weather, and she was just happy to be back in town.

Admiring the warm autumn colors that gathered and blended together in the trees, Lucy retraced her memories from being a kid, her feet carrying her in the direction of the marketplace. She was staying in a dormitory on the Magnolia Academy campus, and since she'd moved in almost two months ago, she hadn't spent much time in town. Between studying, homework, and getting settled into her new dorm and her new school, she didn't have much time to explore. But she was running low on the shampoo she'd brought with her from Crocus, and needed to restock before she ran out completely. Not only that, but she'd quickly come to realize that after living in a place where the temperature stayed at a constant in between both extremes, she no longer had very many articles of clothing to protect herself from the cold. She should definitely pick up at least a pair of gloves while she's out.

With her goal in mind, she quickened her pace toward the store, rubbing her hands together to try and get some heat flowing. Curse her bad circulation. It didn't take much for her fingers to turn to ice, and the chilly breeze didn't do much to keep that from happening.

Taking longer strides to get through the small parking lot to the door, she felt relief when she opened that door and stepped into the building, happy that it was heated inside. She took a moment to look around, grabbing a shopping basket, feeling as if she had been transported back in time. The grocery store looked exactly the same as it did when she was younger, it sounded the same, even smelled the same. It was as if she hadn't been gone for six years. Her feet taking her toward the health and beauty department with little instruction to do so, her eyes skimmed over the employees, swearing she recognized a couple of them. It wouldn't be that surprising if she had. Magnolia was a relatively small town – compared to Crocus, anyway – she was bound to recognize _some_ people, right?

She turned onto aisle thirteen, softly humming a nonsensical tune to herself while she searched for the right brand of shampoo. Smiling once she found it, she instinctively reached for the familiar white bottle, but she stopped. Although she absolutely _loved_ the coconut smell, maybe it was time she tried a different flavor. She examined the other bottles under the brand name carefully, seeing what each one could do for her hair. The bamboo one seemed okay, and it was supposed to help nourish her hair. She might need that if the weather was going to keep this up. She popped the lid open and took a whiff, her eyes nearly rolling into the back of her head. Who knew bamboo had such a heavenly scent?! She grinned and placed the bottle into her basket, her decision made with no questions asked. She was about to walk away before she caught a glimpse of the matching conditioner. She considered it for a brief moment before snagging a bottle of that too.

She couldn't use bamboo shampoo and then coconut conditioner! That just didn't make sense!

The blonde roamed through the store after picking up a pair of gloves, looking for other things that she might need as well as just enjoying the nostalgia. She and her friends used to raid this store on the weekends, get a bunch of snacks for the sleepovers and campouts, probably more snacks than they needed. None of them cared though. She'd been reacquainted with a few of her friends from back in the day, a couple of them went to the same academy she did. It was surreal to be able to talk to them again, but it was fun, and made her feel that much more at home. But there was one friend that she hadn't seen yet, her best friend.

Lucy swallowed at the thought of seeing him again. Her moving away was hardest on him, and they didn't end things very well when she left. After the way their goodbyes went, she was afraid to get in touch with him again.

Lucy shook her head, knocking those thoughts away. In her mind, he was still her friend, and she hoped that she got to see him soon.

She looked up toward the sound of talking, snapping out of her thoughts. She scanned the area for the source, her eyes landing on a young man being yelled at by an employee by the front door. The man's back was to her, so she couldn't get a look at his face, but she could tell that he and the employee were in a heated argument. Unable to discern what they were talking about, with the exception of a few words, she took a moment to examine the man. He was lean, most likely muscular beneath his clothes, his jeans were ripped, and his jacket hugged his torso snugly, the hood up over his head. The jacket didn't seem like it would keep him very warm, leading her to believe it was more for style than actual function. In addition, he had a white scarf wrapped loosely around his neck, hanging down to just above his waist, the pattern reminiscent of…

reptilian scales?

Lucy blinked at the odd sight. It wasn't often to see someone dressed like that in this town, but she didn't have much time to admire it before the man stormed out, flipping the bird on both hands as he did so. She watched him walk away through the windows until she lost sight of him, curiosity burning within her chest.

 _What was that about?_

Before she allowed herself to linger on it any longer, she made her way to a register and paid for her things. She paused at the door to return the basket and put on her new gloves. She didn't notice the person approaching her, too invested in trying to pull off the persistent tag that was embedded into one of the gloves.

"Hello." The voice surprised her, making her jump and whirl around, coming face to face with a man that was about her age, one that she recognized goes to her school. He gave her a friendly smile, to which she returned with her own.

"Hi," she responded, finally breaking off the tag and tucking it into her pocket, planning to dispose of it once she got back to her dorm.

"Your name is Lucy, right?" he inquired casually, watching as she put on her new gloves. "You're the new girl at Magnolia Academy?"

She smiled politely. "Yeah, I am."

"I thought so. So you're new around here, huh?"

She gave a light shrug of her shoulders, having a hunch on where this conversation was going. "Well, kind of. I used to live here when I was a kid, but I moved back for school a little over a month ago."

He grinned and nodded. "Ah. Well, welcome back."

"Thank you." She adjusted her purse on her shoulder as she started to turn toward the door. "I don't want to be rude, but I have to go." She gave him another smile before stepping out into the brisk autumn air, feeling a shiver wrack her spine almost immediately. Just as she was getting ready to start her trek back to the campus, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Wait!" he said, following her out the door. She blinked and turned to face him, reflexively pulling away from his touch. He lowered his hand, offering another friendly grin. Lucy didn't return it this time. "I was thinking, there's this new restaurant that opened a couple blocks away. Would you like to join me for dinner?"

 _And there it is._

She gave him an apologetic look, although it was mostly forced. She didn't like being grabbed like that. "I'm sorry, but I can't. I have to head back to my place so I can work on my studies."

"Oh, come on," he snorted, waving his hand dismissively. "You can't spare an hour of your time to get a bite to eat?"

"I really can't," she said firmly, not bothering with maintaining her facade. "I'm sorry." She started to turn away, but stopped when he grabbed her wrist. She tried to tug her hand away from him. "Let me go."

"Come on, babe, it's just dinner."

Lucy made a sound of disgust as she yanked on her hand again, but he only held onto it tighter to keep her in his grasp. "I am _not_ your babe. Let go of me right now."

"Oi!"

She felt another hand clap onto her shoulder, causing her to turn her head to look at the owner. It was the man from before, the one that was being yelled at by an employee. He put his other hand on the boy's shoulder and gave him a hard shove, breaking him away from Lucy.

"She isn't interested, dickhead. Take a fucking hint." Lucy stared at the man, her eyes widening as realization hit her. She recognized that face, and that voice, and…

And those eyes. She knew those fierce green orbs anywhere.

" _Natsu?"_ she breathed incredulously, not believing her eyes. The man turned to her at the mention of his name, stunned that she knew what it was. His shocked expression only deepened when his own realization dawned as well.

"Lucy?"

The blonde continued to stare, her heart thrumming loudly in her ears. It _is_ him, the boy she hadn't seen or talked to since the day she moved to Crocus. Although, he was no longer a "boy," in any way, shape, or form. He was taller than her by a couple inches, his body had a wider frame, and his hair was dyed bright pink, but his most jarring detail was the jagged scar that ran across his right cheek.

"Hey, mind your own business," said the guy from her school, reminding the both of them that he was there. They both turned to look back at him. "I was just asking her out."

"You were harassing her," Natsu spat back, his eyes narrowed dangerously. "She said no, and that was your cue to fuck off!"

The guy snarled, taking a step closer to them as Natsu instinctively held his arm out in front of Lucy, guiding her to stand behind him. "Who do you think you are, Dragneel? You think you have any right to talk to me like that?"

"Like you have any right to grab a woman without her permission?" Natsu held out his arm to plant a hand against his chest, giving him another push. "Back the fuck up before I knock your teeth out."

He snorted, a cocky smirk curling onto his lips as he ignored the warning and started to advance once more. "What're you gonna do, Dragn–" Natsu didn't let him finish, swiftly landing a punch to his jaw and knocking him to the floor with a pained grunt.

"Gave you a fair warning, asshole," Natsu sneered, grabbing Lucy's arm and pulling her away, leading her to a car. He let go of her by the passenger door, walking around to the driver's side.

"Get in," was all he said, leaving no room for Lucy to argue or refuse. She reached for the handle and pulled on it, opening the door. She looked over her shoulder when she heard the other guy yell from behind them.

"Dragneel!" he shouted, furiously stalking over to them. "Get your ass back here, you piece of shit!"

"Lucy, get in!" Natsu demanded, already in his seat and starting the ignition. Lucy didn't hesitate, getting into the car and locking the door behind her, gasping in shock when Natsu slammed on the gas, reversing out of the parking space just as the other guy slammed his foot into the headlight, shattering it. Natsu held his hand out the window to flip him off as he put the car into drive and sped out of the parking lot, tires screeching loudly in protest. Lucy turned in her seat to watch as the grocery store disappeared from sight, her heart hammering against her chest.

"Are you okay?" Natsu asked softly once the tension died down a bit.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she whispered in response, turning to face the right way in her seat and putting on her seatbelt. She heard Natsu hum in acknowledgement, not saying another word. She looked at him through her peripherals, not quite sure what to say to him. This wasn't exactly how she pictured her reunion with him would go, and she certainly wasn't expecting him to look so… different. She couldn't see much of his face from this angle, his hood blocking most of it from view, frustrating her a little bit. She wanted to get another look at that scar on his cheek, her mind burning, wanting to know how it got there. Being too awkward to say anything about it, however, she settled for taking a gander around his car. But a thought struck her before she could even get a good look around.

"So you've gotten over your motion sickness?" she blurted out, instantly regretting it. She groaned internally at herself, rolling her eyes. That's what she decided to say? Those were the first _real_ words she decided to say to him, after never having shared a conversation with him in six years? _Smooth_.

Natsu glanced at her curiously, lifting an eyebrow before turning his gaze back to the road. "Uh, no, not really," he said, his voice sounding foreign but still familiar to her. "I take medication for it. Driving is faster than walking, and better than taking a bus or something."

"Oh. I see." Lucy looked out the window, rolling her eyes once more. _God,_ that was lame. She blinked when she heard Natsu snort, amused. She turned to him, lifting an eyebrow. "What's so funny?"

He chuckled and shook his head, keeping his eyes on the road. "Nothing." She narrowed her eyes at him, not believing him for a second. He must've felt the glare, so he followed up with, "It's just nice to see you haven't changed."

Her features softened, her gaze falling to her hands as they fiddled in her lap. "Oh." She glanced at him when he didn't say anything, catching the faintest hint of a smile on his face. They fell into silence once more, Lucy's fingers fidgeting anxiously. What should she say to him? How does she break the ice without making idle small talk?

She cleared her throat. "Um, thank you," she offered after a long pause, trying to lift her gaze to look at him, but found that she was too afraid to do so. "For helping me out with that guy."

"No problem," he replied easily, his voice light as if their friendship hadn't been on a six-year hiatus. "That guy's a real douche. Can't stand him."

Finally finding the courage to lift her head, now that they were actually in a conversation, Lucy turned her coffee brown eyes onto him. "How do you know him?"

"Used to go to school with him." He contorted his face as if he smelled something bad. "Never really liked him. He's always been an entitled prick." She nodded, opening her mouth to ask him another question, but he beat her to the punch. "So how long have you been back in town?"

The blonde stared at him for a brief moment, taken aback by the suddenness of his question. "Um, a little over a month," she informed him, subconsciously tucking her hair behind her ear. If Natsu was still how she remembered him, she knew why he brought on that particular question with no segue. "I moved in the weekend before school started."

"So, you've been in town for about a month and a half, and you didn't say a word," he stated briskly, his voice holding more bitterness than it did a couple seconds ago. Lucy sighed, hating that she was right on the money. Even after all these years, she still knew him like the back of her hand. She started to answer, but he cut her off. "You leave for six years, never calling or sending a text or even a fucking email, not making any effort into getting in touch in any way, and then you move–"

"Hey," Lucy interjected, turning to face him more directly. Her eyes burned with irritation, frustrated and hurt that he was placing the blame solely on her. "You didn't make any more of an effort than I did. After the way things ended between us the day I left, can you really blame me for not wanting to talk to you?" She paused so that he could respond. When he didn't, she continued, her tone softer but still angry. "I didn't move away to hurt you, Natsu. You know that. I didn't have a choice in the matter." She turned away, staring out the window as she folded her arms across her chest. "And if you wanted to talk to me so badly, _you_ should've called, or texted, or sent an email, instead of putting all of the responsibility to make amends on me."

They fell into a tense silence, neither one of them wanting to speak to the other. Lucy couldn't believe this. After six years, he was still mad at her for leaving? How could he still be so childish?! Part of her did feel bad, though. A part of her knew that at some point, she should've at least tried to contact him. He _was_ her best friend, after all. If any of their friends was going to be really upset about her leaving, of course it was going to be him. But nonetheless, she wasn't the only one at fault. She knew that.

She snuck a glimpse in his direction, seeing him focusing on the road, his mouth set in a thin line and his eyebrows pinched together, a facial expression he had when he was mad about something but refused to talk about it. She scoffed lightly under her breath.

 _He hasn't changed a bit either._

Well, that wasn't entirely true. He was almost unrecognizable with how different he looked. She never thought she would see the day that Natsu Dragneel dyed his hair, to pink of all colors. Not that it looked bad, it actually suited him quite well. So did that peculiar scarf that hung around his neck, and now that his hood had been pushed back a bit and she actually had a good angle of his face, she noticed he had a few piercings in his ear as well, all of which suited him too. He was like a different person, but not really at the same time.

"What brought on your change in style?" she found herself asking, still mad at him but her curiosity got the better of her. She saw Natsu glance in her direction through the corner of his eyes before refocusing on the street ahead of him. He stayed silent for a couple beats, as if debating with himself if he should humor her and give her an answer or ignore her. He released a slow sigh, deciding on the former.

"A lot of things have changed since you left, Luce," he murmured vaguely, keeping his eyes away from her. Her heart gave a particularly hard thump at the use of her nickname, the one that was only his to use, having missed the sound of it. She felt herself blushing at the reaction she had, but she ignored it, waiting for him to elaborate. It didn't take long for her to realize that he wasn't going to, so she spoke up instead.

"Like what?"

She saw his expression shift, his lips dipping into a frown that made concern bubble up in her chest. He took in a deep breath, his chest expanding before deflating as he released it, his fingers thrumming against the steering wheel.

"Well, one of the biggest things being that my parents died," he said quietly. Lucy felt her heart drop into her stomach like a heavy stone, the news just about making her want to cry just from the shock alone. She gulped down the mass that formed in her throat, reaching over to gently rub his shoulder without even thinking about it.

"Natsu," she breathed, unsure of what to say. "I'm so sorry."

He let her rub him, actually seeming to embrace her touch. His shoulders shrugged a bit. "It's okay." He was trying to sound indifferent, but she knew better. She knew the pain of losing a parent, having lost her mother when she was a young girl. She couldn't imagine how hard it must have been for him, losing both of his parents at once, and she wasn't there to comfort him like he was there to comfort her.

The thought left a bad taste in her mouth.

"Um," she began slowly, briefly chewing on her lower lip, "if you don't mind me asking, how did–"

"In a house fire," he cut in, answering her question before she even got the chance to finish it. He cleared his throat, his fingers thrumming against the steering wheel a couple more times before they wrapped around it, tightly holding onto it. "About a year after you left. Zeref and I were at a friend's house, and something apparently caught on fire while they were sleeping. The fire alarm crapped out or something, so by the time it actually went off to alert them, it was too late for them to get out."

"What happened to you and Zeref, then?" she asked, massaging comforting circles into his back.

Steering with one hand, Natsu pushed his hood all the way off and ran a hand through his hair, disheveling it more than it was to begin with. "With no immediate family that we were close to, or even knew of, for that matter, we were put into foster care. Zeref moved into his own place when he turned eighteen, but I'm still living with foster parents." Lucy nodded as she accepted the answer.

"So what are your foster parents like?"

She felt him tense beneath her touch at the mention of his parents, and she immediately caught the scowl on his face. She frowned, fearing the worst. Her fears were confirmed when he answered after a long, tense pause.

"They're fucking disgusting."

Lucy gulped, wanting to ask him to elaborate, but the words just wouldn't come out. Her curiosity was flaring up again, but she was also afraid to know the details. She'd never heard him regard someone with such a level of anger and hatred before. It made her mad to think about him having to live with people he outright despises to such an extent, on top of the other shit he'd been through. Her eyes widened as a thought struck her.

 _Were his foster parents responsible for that scar on his cheek?_

The mere notion made her blood turn to lava, burning to such a degree that she was worried she was going to start boiling from the inside out. She really hoped that they weren't responsible, that he just got into a minor accident that left him scarred. She opened her mouth to ask him about it, but once again, he beat her to the punch.

"Do you mind if we stop by my house?" he asked, his voice shaking a bit. Lucy blinked, lifting her gaze to his face and jolting when she saw he was sweating. "My medication is starting to wear off."

She nodded without having to think about it. "Of course." He swallowed hard, turning onto a residential street, making her realize that he was probably heading there anyway, and most likely wouldn't have cared if she'd said no.

After a minute or two of silence, Natsu pulled up to into a driveway, barely making an effort to turn off the engine before practically falling out of the car. Lucy frowned and grabbed her purse and shopping bag, getting out of the car and walking around it to be at Natsu's aid. He only waved her off when she tried to approach him, letting her know he just needed a minute to get his stomach settled down. Understanding, she pivoted on her heel to observe the house. It didn't look anything like Natsu's old house, the one that she remembered, the ciding on the outside painted white instead of blue, and the windows didn't have any shutters. It didn't look all that different from any of the other houses on the block. It was your typical house in the suburbs.

Well, this neighborhood was as suburban as you could get in this town, anyway.

Lucy perched her lips, disinterested in the house. It didn't feel nearly as homey and welcoming as the Dragneels' house she grew up with.

She jolted when she felt a hand on her shoulder, whirling her head around to look at Natsu, who had just stood up and was closing the door to his car. "Come on," he said simply, sounding like he was still nauseous. He played it off, however, walking up the path to the front door and unlocking it, pushing it open to let her enter first. She nodded her thanks to him as she stepped inside, looking around. She didn't like the vibe she got from this house, thinking it was because of the way Natsu described his foster parents. She only had her imagination to tell her about the things that go on in this house, most likely on a regular basis.

It made her stomach churn.

Lucy let Natsu guide her through the living room and toward the stairs, the two of them heading up the steps and down a hallway. Lucy frowned at how barren the walls were, hardly anything adorning them. No pictures, or plants, or random decor, just the occasional painting. She swallowed, looking at the back of Natsu's head as he led her somewhere.

 _She really didn't like this place._

Natsu opened the door at the end of the hall, turning to her and stepping backwards over the threshold, grinning his iconic grin, one that hadn't changed at all since he was twelve. "Welcome to my domain," he declared, holding his arms out to his sides and gesturing to the space around him. He chuckled to himself, spinning around and walking to his bed, plopping down on it. "Close the door on your way in, okay?" Lucy did as told after she entered his bedroom, closing the door behind her while she took a look around.

It was just about how she pictured his room to look, and it was a nice contrast to the rest of the house. Posters of the bands he listened to and the anime he watched covering the majority of the wallspace, a portion of the wall by his desk smothered in concert tickets and movie stubs, his laundry strewn over the floor, pictures of him and his friends outlining the window, a beautiful tapestry of a dragon hanging over his headboard. She approached the window, interested in seeing the photos of the friends she wished she could've been with when those photos were taken. A hint of a smile ghosted over her lips, her heart warming at seeing Natsu so happy and having fun, especially when she saw a few pictures that he must've salvaged from his old house, pictures than included his parents.

She tried not to feel hurt when she didn't see a single picture of her on his wall.

She faintly heard Natsu shifting on his bed, but her attention didn't switch to him until she heard the sound of a lighter clicking, her body swiveling around to face him. Her eyes widened at seeing an ashtray resting on his chest as he laid on his back, his eyes focused on the ceiling and a joint between his fingers. He blindly flung his lighter across his bed as he brought the joint to his lips, taking a deep breath in, holding it, and then slowly releasing it, watching in satisfaction as the cloud of smoke escaped from his mouth and dispersed into the air. Lucy gagged when she caught of whiff of it.

"Is that pot?" she inquired, watching him flick the joint over the ashtray a couple times before bringing it to his mouth again. He glanced at her, nodding as he took another long drag. She lifted an eyebrow, the corner of her mouth quirking up into a small grin. "Is that what you meant when you said you took 'medication' for your motion sickness?"

"Yup," he chuckled, flicking the ashes away once more. "Does it bother you?"

She shook her head. "Other than the smell, no, it doesn't bother me. Do what you have to." Her comment caused him to stare at her, almost shocked by what she said. She blinked at his reaction. "What?"

He averted his eyes in an instant, grabbing the ashtray as he sat up, leaning his back against the headboard and setting the tray back down at his side. "Nothing." Holding the joint with his teeth, he unzipped his jacket and shrugged it off his shoulders, tossing it carelessly to the side. Lucy blinked when she noticed the tribal fire tattoo on his right arm, the flames licking up his skin from his wrist to just above his elbow. She admired the tat for a moment or two, fighting the urge to bite her lip. She loved how it looked on him. She never thought he would've gotten a tattoo in his life. How many other ways had he changed over the years?

Wanting to distract herself, she cleared her throat as she moved her gaze to his, feeling her heart skip a beat due to those emerald eyes of his, staring back into hers like daggers. "S-so, how long has this been going on?" she stammered, resisting the urge to smack her forehead.

 _Why'd I have to say that like I was his mother?_

Natsu quirked an eyebrow and chuckled, amused. "A couple years ago."

She nodded, swallowing back her nervousness. "Oh."

He took another drag, flicking the ashes as he exhaled. "Don't tell anyone, okay? I don't have a prescription."

She blinked. "So… you're smoking it… illegally?"

He grinned at her. "Like I said before, Luce, a lot has changed since you left."

 _I can see that,_ she thought to herself, suddenly feeling a little anxious, but she didn't let her nerves make her feel uncomfortable around him. He might be different, but he's still Natsu, and she felt safe with him.

"You can sit down, y'know," he informed her, gesturing vaguely around his room. Lucy blinked, realizing she'd been standing in the middle of his room like a weirdo. Feeling a blush crawl up her neck, she set her things on top of his desk and sat down on his bed, her eyes admiring the tapestry on the wall behind his bed, a watercolor dragon staring back at her with pupil-less eyes. She wanted to ask if he made it, but she doubted it, seeing as he was never all that good with art. Her eyes wandered, noticing that his ashtray had a silver dragon on it too, circling around the outside and snarling as if it were protecting its hoard of treasure. It was beautifully ornate. She briefly wondered how much it cost. Her gaze moved back to him, seeing that the shirt he was wearing also had a dragon, its front paw perched on top of what appeared to be a crystal ball, blue and white flames spewing from its mouth.

"Still got an obsession with dragons, I see?" Lucy speculated, a teasing smirk playing on her lips when she saw he pouted in response.

"It's not an obsession!" he insisted indignantly, huffing. "It's an admiration."

She giggled. "Call it what you want, Natsu." He scoffed lightly, taking one last drag of his blunt before putting it out on the ashtray, putting it inside his bedside drawer. _To hide it from his foster parents_ , Lucy thought, meaning they probably didn't know about his smoking. Which, if he started doing it a couple years ago like he said, and they still didn't know about it, she had to hand it to him. It was impressive.

"So you're going to Magnolia Academy, huh?" he asked, breaking her out of her thoughts. She blinked a few times as she connected their gaze, wondering how he knew about where she was going to school. She didn't remember mentioning it to him. He must have noticed her confusion, because he smiled and nodded toward her stuff on his desk. "Your bag has the school's crest hanging from the zipper."

"Oh," she muttered, happy – and somewhat wary – that he was still so observant. That was one of the things she loved and hated most about him. It was impossible for her to keep secrets from him, due to him being able to see right through her. He used to exploit that fact all the time when they were kids, the cheeky bastard. "Yeah, I got a scholarship into their fine arts program."

Natsu smiled brightly. "That's so cool!. Did you get in because of your writing, or what?"

She shrugged. "Eh, kind of. I submitted a short story into a nationwide contest sponsored by the school, and since my story was illustrated as well, they gave me a scholarship because of my art, not necessarily because of the story itself. But, I did get second place in the contest, so I count that as a win."

"That's awesome, Luce," he praised, his smile paired with the nickname making her heart skip a few beats. "I'm happy for you."

Her cheeks warmed as she shyly averted her gaze, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Th-thank you." He grinned and opened his mouth to say something, but the sound of the front door opening and closing downstairs cut him short. His eyes widened, staring at his bedroom door.

"Shit," he cursed, leaping to his feet and sprinting to his closet, digging for something. Lucy watched him, stunned by the sudden change. She was about to ask him what was wrong before she heard another male voice from downstairs.

"Natsu! You here?!"

"Yeah!" Natsu shouted back, grabbing a can of air freshener and spraying it all around his room. Lucy's confusion worsened, not understanding what he was doing until realization struck her. She looked over her shoulder at his nightstand, eyeing the drawer he hid his ashtray in. He was masking the smell of his weed. Finally understanding, she turned back to him to ask if there was anything she could do to help, but decided not to, seeing that he had a system. He tossed the air freshener back into his closet, kicking up a pair of pants to hide it as he fanned his hands in the air, trying to get the smell to spread to the rest of the room.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," he muttered under his breath, grabbing some of his cologne and giving himself a quick spray to get the smell of weed off his clothes. Once he was satisfied, he grabbed a pack of gum off his desk and popped a piece into his mouth. Lucy watched him, frowning as he saw the clear panic in his expression. She figured he usually had more time to cover his tracks, considering he seemed to be caught completely off guard. He patted his pockets like he was looking for something. When he didn't feel anything, he started looking around, his eyes widening when he found it, pointing to something near her.

"The lighter!" he whispered. Lucy blinked and followed where he was pointing, seeing his lighter on the bed a couple inches away from her. Without hesitation, she snatched it into her hand and shoved it into her pocket, mere seconds before his bedroom door opened. A man stepped inside, long, messy black hair adorning his head, blue highlights streaking through the tresses, his tanned skin a few shades darker than Natsu's. His eyes landed on her immediately, the intensity of his stare making her throat run dry and her heart kick into overdrive, but not in the same way Natsu's stare made her do the same things.

No. Nothing about this man was friendly. She didn't need Natsu's previous description of him to know that he was an awful person.

The man stared silently at her, scrutinizing her carefully before he turned his sharp gaze to Natsu, who was now leaning against his desk, looking a lot calmer than he had thirty seconds ago. His arms were folded across his chest, his eyes dark and tense. They had a small staring contest for what seemed like an eternity, Lucy's heart pumping so wildly she was afraid it was going to explode. She felt as if the tension was trying to suffocate her.

She jumped when the man finally spoke, lifting his hand to gesture to Lucy. "Who is this girl?" he snapped, his voice alone causing icy chills to wrack Lucy's spine. "You know I don't like strangers in the house, Natsu."

"She isn't a stranger," Natsu retorted, his tone just as hard, not a hint of kindness in his voice. His foster father turned back to her, looking her up and down. She felt like squirming under his stare, her stomach churning when his eyes lingered in certain areas. After what felt like a decade, he returned his focus to Natsu, his next words making Lucy jerk as if she'd been hit.

"Is this what you've been saving money for? A bimbo?"

Lucy felt her whole face flush into a deep crimson, feeling it spread to her ears and even down her neck. She was so mortified she felt like crying. Before she could defend herself, Natsu stepped up, that comment having a strong effect on him as well.

"Oh, my fucking god, Acno, it isn't like that!" he snarled, practically fuming. "She isn't a bimbo! She's my friend!"

His foster father narrowed his eyes dangerously. "That's _Acnologia_ to you, boy. And you will treat me with respect."

"I'll call you whatever the fuck I want, dickhead. And maybe if you deserved any kind of respect from me, I would give it to you!"

He didn't move fast enough to defend himself from the attack that came next. Acnologia grabbed him roughly by the hair and dragged him to the nearest wall, slamming him up against it so hard Lucy was sure it left a dent in the wall. Lucy stood up, lifting her hands up to her mouth to stifle the gasp, watching with fear in her eyes as Acnologia got a little too close to Natsu's face for either of them to be comfortable. She was sure that hurt him, but he didn't give any indication that it did, his eyes focused on anything other than his foster father.

"You ungrateful little brat," Acnologia growled. "I took you in when you had nowhere else to go, put a roof over your head, a place to sleep, put food in your belly–"

"Yeah, barely," Natsu muttered, rolling his eyes. Acnologia snarled and pulled him away from the wall by the hair before slamming him back against it, clearly unsatisfied when the only response he got out of him was a soft grunt. He tightened his grip on his hair, twisting it in his fist.

"I am your father, you worthless urchin," he whispered lowly. "You _will_ do what I say, when I say it, and you _will_ treat me with respect. Do you understand me?" Natsu finally turned his fierce green eyes onto him, blazing so hot that Lucy swore the room got a little hotter just by the look in his eyes.

"You are _not_ my father."

Acnologia narrowed his eyes but took that as a good enough answer, letting go of his hair and pulling away from him. He turned to Lucy, the movement making her jump. "And _you._ " She stiffened when he approached her, cornering her against another wall. He stood a good foot above her, making it easy for him to make her feel as small as an ant. "You don't tell _anyone_ about what you saw today. Got it? And the next time I see you in my house, you'll wish you had never been born. Am I clear?" Lucy didn't answer, the fear coursing through her veins causing her to freeze in her place, her entire body shaking uncontrollably. He didn't seem impressed, so he raised his voice to make her flinch. "I said, _am I clear?_ "

"Y-y-yes," Lucy stammered, her voice barely coming out. He looked her up and down once more, making her breath hitch in her throat. She was afraid she was going to pass out with how loud her blood rushing in her ears had become, her heart beating a million miles a minute. Thankfully, before she reached that point, Natsu gently grabbed her arm and tugged her away from Acnologia, standing in front of her like a protective barrier.

"Get out of her face, Acno."

Acnologia glared at him for not calling him by his full name again, but decided to let it slide. He glanced over Natsu's shoulder at Lucy. She flinched and subconsciously moved closer to Natsu, her hands shaking against his back as she lightly fisted his shirt. She felt like she was going to pass out again when no one said anything, the tension in the room so heavy it made her feel like the house was going to sink a couple inches into the ground.

"Get out," Acnologia told her. "I want you out." Noticing that she was unable to move from her spot, Natsu reached for his jacket and picked it up off the floor.

"I'll take her home."

Acnologia sneered. "She can't walk home by herself?"

Natsu sighed heavily, losing patience and his self-control. "She lives across town and it's getting dark. I'm taking her home." He turned just enough to take her hand into his, walking to his desk to get her purse before taking her out of his room and down the stairs. She felt herself starting to relax as soon as they left the room, even more so when they got into his car and started to drive away.

"I'm sorry."

Lucy blinked and looked at him. Now that they weren't in Acnologia's presence, he was letting himself show emotion again. She hated how distressed he looked, like he was on the verge of having a panic attack. She frowned deeply and touched his arm, massaging it tenderly. He inhaled a shaky breath, preparing himself to say more.

"I didn't want you to have to meet him," he confessed. "I didn't think he was going to get off work so early. I'm sorry you had to see that, and I'm sorry that he scared you so bad. I saw how badly you were shaking. I'm also sorry that he called you a bimbo. I'm sor–"

"Natsu," she called, effectively cutting him off from his rambling. She moved her hand up to his shoulder, giving a reassuring squeeze. "You have nothing to apologize for. You did nothing wrong, and what happened wasn't your fault." They went silent for a couple breaths. "Does Zeref know?"

He nodded, gulping. "Yeah. Sorta. He knows that Acno and Dimaria aren't nice people in any sense, but he doesn't know… how bad it can get."

"Natsu, you need to tell him."

He shook his head. "I can't. Believe me, I would. In a heartbeat. But since he's so tight on money, what with moving out so early and having to pay off his college tuition, having to look after me is the last thing he needs. I don't want to be a burden to him."

"Natsu, you won't be a bu–"

"I don't want to talk about this."

Lucy stared at him, knowing that he should talk about this whole situation, that holding it all inside isn't going to do him much good. But she could see how stressed out he was, so she decided to put the conversation to rest for now. They sat in silence for the rest of the drive, neither one of them saying a single word until he pulled up in front of Magnolia Academy. He put his car into Park, letting his hands fall from the steering wheel and into his lap, keeping his eyes focused straight ahead of him. Lucy unbuckled her seatbelt and looked at him, reaching over and gently touching his hand. It seemed to snap him out of his thoughts, tilting his head down to look at her hand sitting on top of his.

"Thank you, for taking me here," she said softly, squeezing his hand. "And thank you for standing up for me earlier, and for getting me away from that guy at the grocery store." She grinned and extended her hand, tenderly brushing his hair away from his face. "It makes me happy to see that you still care about me, despite how awful our relationship has been."

"Of course I still care," he interjected, ignoring the fact that there was a distinct blush fanning across his cheeks. He connected their gaze, his eyes holding onto hers like a vice, a beautiful, emerald vice. "You're my best friend. Aren't you?"

She smiled warmly. "Of course I am." He allowed a small grin as well, relieved to hear her say those words.

"I'm, uh… I'm sorry, for getting on your ass about not keeping in touch," he apologized, rubbing the back of his neck. "It was unfair to put you in that position."

Lucy shook her head. "It's okay."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

Natsu gulped, turning his hand over from beneath hers so that he could hold her hand in his. "Please don't let him scare you away. I… I just got you back and I don't want to lose you again. So… could you… stick around?" He barely had the opportunity to finish talking when she leaned over and hugged him tightly. He made a soft sound of surprise, feeling his cheeks get warm again. He swallowed thickly, hesitantly returning the hug.

"I'm not going anywhere, Natsu," she whispered, her breath tickling passed his ear, causing his blush to darken a shade or two. "Not this time." Feeling more at ease now that he'd heard the words from her own mouth, he tightened his embrace, holding her against him.

"I missed you," he mumbled, burying his face into her hair.

"I missed you too." She rubbed his back as she pulled away, giving him a smile that made his breath hitch in his throat. "Let me treat you to breakfast tomorrow. Meet me at Fairy Tail around eight o'clock?"

He grinned. "Definitely. It'll be just like old times."

She giggled. "Exactly." She reached into her purse and pulled out a pen and a piece of paper, writing down her phone number and handing it to him. "Text me when you get home, okay?"

Natsu nodded, staring at her number for a second before looking back up at her. "Sure."

"Okay. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah. See ya."

Lucy smiled at him one last time before getting out of the car, waving to him as she walked toward the dormitories. He grinned and waved back at her, watching her walk away until she faded from his sight.

Lucy couldn't get to her dorm fast enough, pressing her back against the door after she'd crossed the threshold and closed it. That was _definitely_ not how she expected her reunion with Natsu to go. She never imagined he would've looked so different, and she couldn't believe how much he'd changed, but how he stayed the same at the same time. And…

And she couldn't believe how _handsome_ he's become.

Her cheeks erupted into a blush as she buried her face into her hands, squealing as she slowly slid down to the floor. If she had a crush on him before, when they were kids, she _definitely_ had a crush on him now. The piercings, the hair, his clothes, the tattoo on his arm, all of it was too much for her to handle!

Steam practically billowing from her ears, she forced herself to think about something else before her thoughts delved too far down. She pushed herself back onto her feet, taking off her jacket as she felt a little too warm. She jumped when she heard something hit the ground, looking around her feet for what could have fallen. She blinked when she saw Natsu's lighter, bending down to pick it up. She forgot she'd put this in her pocket before Acnologia made his entrance. She hoped he had another one, in case he needed to smoke again once he got home. She examined the lighter, chuckling to herself when she saw an oriental dragon wrapped around it, its mouth positioned in such a way that it looked like it was breathing fire when the lighter was lit.

' _Not an obsession,' he says._

Lucy put it in her purse, knowing it would stay safe there and that she was less likely to forget to give it back to Natsu tomorrow morning. She changed into comfier clothes, deciding to get some studying done before it was time for her to go to bed. Just as she was getting into her studies, her phone buzzed with a text.

 _ **Made it home. Can't wait for tomorrow! :D**_

She giggled, saving his number onto her phone before responding.

 **Neither can I. It's been so long since the two of us have taken a trip to Fairy Tail. I've been craving those pancakes for years!**

It didn't take long for her to realize that it was a lot harder to study when she kept getting texts from Natsu.


	2. Careening

Careening

 _I'm careening down that slippery slope_  
 _'Cause the thought of you won't go away_

* * *

Lucy woke up the next morning feeling like the previous day was just a dream. She almost couldn't believe that her whole reunion with Natsu had really happened. She didn't realize the truth until she saw he had blown up her phone while she was taking her morning shower. She grinned while picking up her phone, letting it scan her thumbprint before reading the texts he'd sent her.

 _ **Mornin' Luce! :D**_

 _ **How'd you sleep?**_

 _ **You there?**_

 _ **Hello!**_

 _ **Dammit, Luce, answer meeee! T~T**_

Lucy giggled and rolled her eyes, typing out a reply.

 **Jeez, I was in the shower, you big baby! Excuse me for wanting to be clean! :P**

She set her phone down and resumed her usual morning routine, humming softly to herself as she walked to the mirror she had hanging on her wall. She ran a comb through her damp hair, deciding to skip blowdrying it that morning. She hated blowdrying her hair. She had so much of it that using her hair dryer took forever, and it tended to make her hair a bit frizzy. Letting it air dry was much better, in her opinion. And it was 7:30, meaning she only had a few minutes to get ready if she wanted to meet Natsu on time. She wouldn't normally be running this late, but that's what she gets for snoozing her alarm, and for staying up too late.

Natsu was definitely just as talkative as he was growing up. Not that she minded. It was nice to talk to him again.

Once her hair was neatly combed, she sat down at her desk and opened up her compact mirror pulling some makeup out of one of the drawers. She didn't use that much makeup, finding the task of "gussying" herself up tedious and unnecessary, and not worth the cleanup once she was ready to take it all off. She scoffed at all those commercials for makeup wipes, saying that it all comes off in one swipe. Pfft. "One swipe," her ass. No matter what brand she used, she typically spent a couple minutes trying to scrub off her damned eyeliner, making it smudge rather than coming off, causing her to look tired.

So, she steered clear of the eyeliner and just put on some light eyeshadow to make her eyes pop, and added some light pink lipstick, just to give her lips more color. Satisfied with how she looked, she put away her makeup just in time to hear her phone buzz with another incoming text. Standing up and traversing the floor to her nightstand, she picked up her phone to read the message.

 ** _Right, I forgot about how weird you are with your showers._**

Lucy scoffed. "I'm not weird," she mumbled to herself before reading the rest of the text.

 ** _You down for taking a field trip after breakfast? There's something I wanna show ya OuO_**

She blinked.

 **Really? What is it?**

 _ **That's for me to know and for you to find out, duh! You down or not? O_O**_

She huffed, letting him know that she would like to spend more time with him after breakfast, and that she would see him at Fairy Tail. After hitting send, she put her phone back down on her nightstand and walked to her closet to get dressed, putting on some cute jeans and a long sleeved shirt, not wanting to take chances with the weather outside. She tied her mostly dried hair back with a blue ribbon, letting her bangs hang over her forehead and frame her face. Taking one last look in the mirror, she smiled in satisfaction as she put her phone in her pocket, grabbed her purse and her jacket, and headed out the door, locking it behind her.

* * *

Lucy felt a fresh wave of nostalgia wash over her as soon as she stepped into the quaint Fairy Tail cafe. It all looked exactly the same, and it smelled exactly the same too, like their signature pancakes. She took a deep breath in through her nose, inhaling the scent. Her stomach grumbled in response. She hummed happily, just dying to get her hands on some of their flapjacks. Her eyes scanned over the tables, looking for a familiar head of pink hair. Her eyebrow quirked when she couldn't find him, pulling her phone out of her pocket and getting ready to send him a text, but stopped when she saw he had sent her one she hadn't seen.

 _ **Running a bit late. Car had a hard time starting. I'll be there soon if you get there before me!**_

She felt a smile curl onto her mouth, relieved to hear that he was still coming. She hated that her mind jumped to the worst case scenario. Just because she didn't see him there didn't mean he was ditching her. She knew that.

Putting her phone back, she walked to an empty booth a few tables down, setting her purse on the seat closest to the wall before sitting down next to it. A waitress approached her within seconds of her sitting down, giving her a polite grin.

"Good morning, miss," she greeted. "What can I get you?"

"Chocolate banana pancakes," Lucy answered without hesitation, returning her smile. "And a cherry limeade, please."

"You got it," she said, writing down her order with a confirming nod. "Would you like some bacon on the side? Or something else?"

"Some bacon sounds good."

"Alright. I'll be right back with your drink." She gave her another smile before turning to leave, walking toward the bar. Lucy smiled and thanked her as she walked away, looking around the cafe. Didn't Natsu say Zeref worked here now, when they were up late last night texting? Maybe she could say hi to him. She wondered what he looked like now. Did he go through the same phases as Natsu, or does he still look pretty much the same? She pursed her lips, giving her head a small shake. She doubted Zeref went through the same phases. He's always been much more… down to earth, in a sense. She couldn't see him with piercings, or tattoos, or dyed hair. But after what he went through with Natsu, she supposed she couldn't be all that surprised if he had.

Her brown eyes returned to the table when she didn't see him, turning on her phone and going through social media while she waited for Natsu to get there. She jumped when she felt a hand gently pat her shoulder after several minutes, her head snapping up to look at the person who touched her, relaxing at seeing it was Natsu. He smiled brightly at her.

"Heya!" he said, sitting down across from her. "You been waiting on me long?"

Lucy grinned and shook her head. "Not at all. Maybe ten minutes."

"Cool." He smiled at the waitress when she returned with Lucy's drink, giving her his order as well, but Lucy wasn't listening. She was too enthralled with his appearance, taking in his attire as she idly stirred her drink with the straw. A black snapback hat was atop his head, the color contrasting starkly with his hair. It was angled more to the side, rather than straight ahead, and had the name of a band she didn't recognize printed across the front. There were several piercings in both of his ears, something she had noticed the day before but didn't really get the chance to admire them. They weren't super fancy, just either silver bands or studs, but they still complemented his features exponentially. His peculiar reptilian scarf was still present around his neck, and he was wearing a navy blue shirt with a white skull, and dark jeans. There was a black wristband around his right wrist, and a couple bracelets on his left.

His overall attire, paired with his forearm tattoo, the scar on his cheek, and the scar on his neck peeking out from beneath his scarf – one she remembered him getting when they were little – he looked like a stereotypical bad boy, a look that Lucy had fancied since she hit puberty. But despite his tough appearance, she knew him to be very sweet and kind-hearted, even a bit of a dork. He possessed just about every feature she loved in a person, both in his personality and in physical appearance.

Which should be illegal.

Lucy blinked a few times when she noticed his hand waving in front of her face, tuning into his voice as he tried to get her attention. "Hel-lo?" he drawled, amusement clinging to his voice, matching the grin on his lips. "Earth to Lucy. You there, Luce?"

"Sorry," she apologized quickly, feeling her cheeks warm up with a blush, turning her eyes down to look at her cherry limeade. "I was zoned out."

Natsu chuckled. "I could tell. You must be starving or something. You were staring at me like a cartoon dog, picturing everything he sees as a giant steak." He laughed once more while Lucy blushed even deeper. Had she really locked onto him that intensely?

 _So embarrassing!_

"Well, I am pretty hungry," she mumbled, trying to play it off and hoping he didn't notice how easy it was for him to make her blush. "Like I said last night, I've been craving these pancakes for months."

He chuckled. "Me too. I don't get to eat here very often anymore."

She blinked and tilted her head to the side. "How come?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. This just… this used to be _our_ place, y'know? It just felt weird to come here by myself, without you."

She nodded in understanding. She could imagine herself doing the same if the roles had been reversed. She leaned her chin in her palm, her lips pulling back to offer him a grin. "But your brother works here now," she reminded him. "I'm sure you'd get discounts, right?"

"Pfft, yeah, right," he scoffed with a lighthearted chuckle. "You know Zeref. I couldn't even convince him to let me have a second popsicle after dinner when we were kids, let alone a discount on my breakfast at the cafe where he works."

Lucy giggled, nodding once. "That's fair enough. So it's safe to assume he hasn't changed?"

Natsu shrugged, his hand tilting from side to side in a 'sorta' gesture. "Eh, not much, no. I mean, since our parents died, he's been strangely protective of me, and for a while he easily got sucked into his studies. He would be so deep in his books that he would barely leave his room to eat. But he's still pretty much the same guy."

"Are you guys any closer than you used to be?" she inquired curiously, hoping she wasn't prying. The Natsu she knew growing up didn't have a problem with personal questions, but she was a little bit wary of the Natsu she was currently talking to, considering their confrontations the day before. She felt herself relax, though, when he just waved the question off, looking only slightly disinterested in the topic.

"Not particularly. We hang out when we can, but only for like a couple hours or so."

They continued to talk, reminisce about the old times. By the time their food arrived, they had fallen back into their old routine. It was as if the six years apart hadn't happened. They were laughing and talking as they had when they were kids. Lucy had to admit, seeing his smile and hearing his laugh again after all this time eased an ache in her chest she hadn't really known was there. She must have missed him more than she realized.

"I'm happy to hear that you're still writing," Natsu chimed, his grin infectious. "I remember you telling me about how much your father gave you shit for it, despite how happy it clearly made you. It's good to know that you didn't let him take it away from you."

Lucy huffed, dismissively waving her hand. "I stopped letting him tell me what I could and could not do a long time ago. He still tries, reminding me every chance he gets that I'm the only heir to the company, so unless I want him to go bankrupt or give the company away to some stranger when he retires, I need to 'put my own dreams on the back burner.'"

"So he hasn't changed at all?" Natsu grumbled, gulping down the rest of his drink.

"Nope," she answered with a shake of her head, her blonde hair falling over her shoulder. "Still thinks of me as property rather than his daughter, someone he can control and manipulate without me fighting back." Natsu felt his shoulders sag a little bit, not liking that she was so blasé about her relationship with her father. He supposed she was used to it, but that even made him feel worse. She deserved more. He reached across the table and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm sorry."

Lucy smiled and shook her head. "Don't be." He held her gaze with that same sympathetic look in his eyes that everyone else held when she told them about her feelings on her relationship with her dad. She'd grown tired of that look long ago. She turned her hand over in his, gently squeezing it back. "Really, Natsu. Don't be sorry. It's how it's always been."

Natsu sensed her annoyance and nodded, giving her one last squeeze before withdrawing his hand in favor of scratching the side of his neck. It seems he and Lucy haven't seen each other in so long that he's forgotten how to talk to her. He was thankful that she appeared to notice his hesitance, taking it upon herself to transition the conversation into other topics. His frame visibly relaxed as they talked, the two of them seldomly taking bites of their food in between sentences. For a moment, it felt as if they hadn't been apart for six years.

Time flew by as they caught up, mostly on Lucy's side of things, as Natsu didn't seem like he wanted to talk about what he'd been going through the last couple years. It was something Lucy could understand. She'd heard and seen enough the day before to determine that he hasn't been having the best time since she left. So she was fine with talking about her studies, and how much her writing had improved since the last time they saw each other.

"You're gonna have to let me read some of it one of these days," Natsu grinned, his words causing Lucy to scoff.

"Since when do you like to read?" she questioned with a light giggle.

Natsu huffed indignantly. "Since always, when it's written by my best friend. Need I remind you that I've always been down to read your stories, Luce? Speaking of which…" his expression changed from annoyed to excited, "did you ever finish that story about the dragon? The one that was the ruler over the land, and had really cool magic powers?"

Lucy blinked a couple times, a soft smile gracing her features. "You remember that?"

"Duh! It was so good! You left before I got to read the end of it."

Lucy felt her cheeks redden, bashfully turning her gaze to her plate, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear. She cleared her throat, idly twirling her fork around in her fingers. "Honestly, I never got to finish it. After moving away, I kind of lost my motivation to write it." She looked up to see Natsu's shoulders sagging, so she quickly went to recover. "But I do have it still. Maybe I should read through it and try to rewrite it or something."

He immediately perked up, his lips pulling back in a radiant grin. "Yeah! That'd be awesome!" Lucy giggled at his eagerness, her heart thumping as she saw the same boy from six years ago. She was so happy to see that he had the same exuberant, carefree demeanor, even after all he'd he'd been through. Her heart lurched in surprise when she caught herself staring again, praying that he didn't notice it. She mentally cursed herself, chewing on her lower lip.

 _I really need to stop doing that,_ she berated herself. She looked back up at him, allowing herself to relax once she saw he was focused on finishing off his food. A soft sigh escaped her lips. _At least he's still as oblivious as ever._

She straightened up when a thought popped into her head. "So," she began, her segue reeling in Natsu's attention, causing him to lift his head up to meet her gaze. She smiled, resting her chin in her palm. "What's this 'field trip' you're planning on taking me on?"

"I thought I told ya," he chuckled, shaking his head, "that's for _me_ to know, and for _you_ to find out."

She whined, slouching over the table with a prominent pout. "Come on, Natsu. I don't like surprises–"

"Pfft, since when?" Natsu cut in, scoffing. "I seem to remember you flipping your shit whenever someone would spoil something for you, because you'd much rather 'revel in the surprise,' especially when it came to presents."

She sat up, giving him a pointed look. "Okay, first of all, who is this 'someone'?" She held up her hands to emphasize that last word with air quotations. "I'm pretty sure that 'someone' who liked to spoil things for me was _you_ , you douche." Natsu barked out a laugh, but she continued without pausing. "Second of all, I can't stand the suspense! Just tell me where you plan on taking me!"

Still caught up in chuckles, he responded by shaking his head. "No can do, Luce. The whole point of a surprise, is to be surprised, y'know."

"Ugh, fine," she griped, giving a polite smile to their waitress as she took the bill. She opened it and quickly scanned through it to make sure all the information was accurate before pulling out her wallet. She glanced up at Natsu. "Am I at least gonna enjoy this surprise?"

"I'm pretty sure you will," he answered honestly, slurping down the rest of his soda. Lucy felt her anticipation swell in her chest, slipping her credit card into the slot before handing the bill back to the waitress.

"Well, is it a place, or a thing, or…?"

"You really don't get how surprises work, do ya?"

* * *

"Why do I have to close my eyes?" Lucy asked in a huff, her hand held up to cover her eyes while Natsu drove. She heard Natsu's chuckle, the sound causing her heart to jolt.

"Because I don't want to give anything away. Just stop complaining, will ya?" he playfully snapped, reached over to gently flick her knuckles. She flinched at the sudden attack, instinctively going to hit him back. He laughed when she swatted his arm. "Oi! Don't hit the driver, idiot! You wanna get us both killed?"

She failed to hold back her own laugh. "Oh, please, I barely touched you."

Still chuckling, Lucy could almost feel him shaking his head beside her. "Whatever. Just keep your eyes closed."

She grinned, her hand still in place against her eyes. "They are."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

"You _swear?_ "

She giggles. "Yes, you goof. My eyes are as closed as they can be."

She could hear the bright smile in his voice. "Good. We're almost there."

Lucy sighed and leaned back in her seat. The road started to feel different, causing her curiosity to spike. Were they on a dirt road now? Where in the world was he taking her?

They were driving for another minute or two before the car slowed to a stop, and she heard Natsu kill the engine before unbuckle his seatbelt. "Keep your eyes closed," he practically sang, opening the door and getting out of the car. She heard faint footsteps walking around the car, opening Lucy's door. He gently grabbed her arm to help her out, but stopped when he noticed something. He snorted. "You gonna take off your seatbelt, or…?"

She blinked and scoffed, using her free hand to unbuckle her seatbelt. "If I needed to get out, then why didn't you say so?"

"Well, I thought it was implied," he laughed, helping her stand up. "Where did you think I was taking you? The drive-in at noon?" He flinched when she punched him in the shoulder.

"Shut up, you idiot."

She heard Natsu's soft chuckle, but she missed the cringe on his face, rubbing the spot she hit him before putting an arm around her shoulders and leading her somewhere. He gently squeezed her, unaware of her heart kicking up into overdrive at their proximity. Her cheeks burned as she swallowed the lump in her throat, trying to ignore how good he smelled, like a campfire on a summer night. Which surprised her, after finding out about his "medication" the day before. She was half-expecting him to smell like pot, and she was glad he didn't. That smell really did wonders for giving her a headache.

She let him guide her for a couple moments, almost stumbling when he suddenly came to a halt. He lightly bumped her with his hip. "You ready to open your eyes?" he sang in her ear.

"I've been ready since you first told me to close them, Natsu," she informed him, giggling.

He laughed. "Fair enough. Go ahead, open them."

Lucy did as told, finally lowering her hand and opening her eyes, blinking a couple times as they adjusted to the sunlight. She lifted an eyebrow as she took a gander around their surroundings. "Uh… you brought me to a junkyard?"

Natsu blinked and pouted. "Luuuuce," he whined, giving her a light shake. "This is our hideout! Remember? See, look." He grabbed her hand and pulled her along, taking her to an old abandoned shack. He let go of her in favor of approaching it and wiping off the sign hanging over the door, allowing her to see the words carved into the wood.

 _NATSU AND LUCY_

 _DO NOT ENTER_

Lucy's eyes widened as she read over the sign a couple more times, the memories coming back to her. This shack was where they would come to get away from everyone else when they were kids. The paint on the shack was faded and sunbaked, flaking off in some areas, the door looked even jankier than she remembered, and one of the windows was cracked, on the verge of breaking. After the recognition finished sinking in, she turned around to look at the rest of the junkyard. Now that she was actually getting a good look at it, she did recognize the area, the trees appearing to be more dense than they were before.

"I do remember," she breathed, turning back to Natsu. "It just… looks different from how I remember."

"Well, it _is_ a junkyard, y'know," Natsu mused, his arms folded across his chest. "New crap gets dumped here every so often." She gave him a pointed look, but it fell off her face a second afterward, replaced by a grin and a giggle, giving him a light shove. She approached the shack, lightly running her fingers along the door.

"I can't believe it's still here," she breathed, clasping the doorknob and turning it, pushing it open with a little force. She glanced inside, seeing all of their old stuff still in there, more or less in the same position from when she was last there. Their old, raggedy couch sat against a different wall, the legs now missing. Board games sat in a dusty stack in the corner, on top of a table that appeared to be on the very edge of life, a mere breeze away from collapsing. Bed sheets were pinned to the walls, blocking most of the sunbeams from shining through. The back wall, where there used to hang posters from their favorite anime, now housed a bunch of pictures.

Pictures of her, and of him, together.

She blinked, traversing the floor until she reached the wall, reaching out to gently touch one of them. She remembered the scene in the picture well, like it was yesterday. It was taken on her eleventh birthday, the two of them at the monkey bars at the South Gate Park, Lucy perched on top of one of the bars, while Natsu was hanging upside down right beside her. The picture was a selfie taken by Natsu, his phone positioned from above his head – or, rather, _below_ his head, considering he was upside down – catching his gleeful grin perfectly, with Lucy sitting right side up beside him, looking down at the camera with her hand held up in a peace sign.

It was one of Lucy's favorite pictures of them, one she hadn't seen since the last time she'd been in Magnolia. She smiled warmly, gently swiping the faint layer of dust away from the picture. Her eyes roamed over the rest of the pictures, recognizing each and every one of them.

"You still have all these pictures," she whispered, gulping hard to try and suppress her tears.

"Well, yeah," Natsu said from behind her, shrugging nonchalantly with his arms still folded. "Why wouldn't I have them?"

"When we were in your room yesterday," she began, subconsciously wrapping her arms around her shoulders, "I didn't see any pictures of me on your wall. It made me think… you'd gotten rid of them after I left."

Natsu frowned, his arms slacking until they hung at his sides. He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I wanted to, because of how angry I was. But I couldn't. So… since this was _our_ place, I decided to just put them all here."

"What if someone came and destroyed them or something?" she inquired, turning to look at him with her eyes glassy with unshed tears.

He snorted. "No one comes here, Luce, except for the people getting rid of their junk. But that's all they do, drop off a few things, and then leave."

"How do you know?"

"I still come here all the time. When I need a place to get away." Lucy blinked, staring up at him like he'd just spoken in a foreign tongue, making him blink in response, clearing his throat softly. "What? What're you looking at me like that for?"

"You still come here?" she asked softly.

"Yeah. I mean…" He rubbed his neck, clearing his throat and glancing off to the side. "It's a good escape from… life in general. And… this was our place. Whenever I'd start to miss you, I'd…" He trailed off, not finishing the sentence.

Lucy frowned a small bit, rubbing her arm. When he didn't say anything else, she stepped up to him and gently pulled him into a hug.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled into his shoulder, rubbing his back. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for you when… your par–"

"It's okay," he cut in, shaking his head and putting his arm around her. He released a soft, humorless laugh. "How would you have known if I never put effort in trying to contact you?"

"Why didn't you?" she asked, lifting her head to look at him. "Why didn't you text me or anything?"

He shrugged, avoiding her eyes. "I dunno. I just figured, after the way things ended between us, you didn't _want_ me to contact you." He glanced at her through the corner of his eyes, but only for a second, returning his gaze to the corner. "I really wanted to, though. Every day."

"So did I," she murmured, swallowing away her nerves. "I missed you like crazy."

"Me too."

They sat in silence for several beats, neither of them daring to say anything. Lucy cleared her throat softly, the atmosphere almost suffocating her. She pivoted her body on her heel, approaching the window on the opposite side of the shack, wiping the layer of dust away so she could peer through it. A soft grin pulled at the corners of her mouth, memories flooding her mind as her coffee brown orbs trailed along the railway tracks. She and Natsu used to walk along those tracks, holding competitions to see who could get the other to lose their balance the quickest. She typically lost, considering she never really had the best sense of balance. But despite that, she did manage to knock him onto his rear a couple of times. She giggled as she recalled a particular memory.

"Do you remember that one time we were walking along the tracks," Lucy spoke up, cutting through the silence so suddenly that it caused Natsu to nearly jump out of his skin, "and you tripped on a notch in the rail, and fell into the tracks? You tried to catch yourself with your hands, but ended up getting a really nasty splinter stuck in your palm?"

Natsu laughed a couple times, reaching his hand up to rub his palm as he recalled the feeling. "Yeah, I remember," he mused. "That sucker hurt like hell."

"You were so dramatic about it," she sighed in exasperation, turning to face him. "You wouldn't stop whining the whole walk back to our shack, and you put up an unnecessary fight when I tried to get it out for you. I had to wrestle you to the floor and sit on your back to pin you down so I could pluck it with some tweezers."

"It hurt! See, look!" He held his hand out, putting it up to her face. "It left a scar!" Lucy narrowed her eyes, gently taking his hand and lowering it, rotating it so his palm faced the ceiling as she tried to find the so-called scar.

"Where? I don't see anything."

"Right there." He used his free hand to point it out. Lucy angled his hand toward the window to try and get some better light. She touched the spot he gestured to.

"Here?"

"Yeah."

"Natsu, you dolt, that's just your life line! Everybody has those! See?" She showed him her palms, starting to laugh. "There's no way that little splinter could have left a scar that large anyway! You barely even bled!" His eyes widened, studying her hands before lifting up his own to compare. The mark he had referred to was in fact his "life line," a feature that was natural and had always been there, something that was also present on his other hand as well.

"Huh," he deadpanned. "I guess my memory's a bit hazy."

"Maybe you've been smoking too much pot, huh?" Lucy giggled, wiping away a stray tear in her eye. She playfully jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow.

"Shut up," he scoffed, giving her a light shove in return. "I only smoke to help my motion sickness. I barely even get a high off of it."

"Sure. Gotcha." She grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the shack, closing the door behind her before she started to drag him toward the tracks. "Come on. Let's go see if we can find the crime scene, see where the plank of wood took the life of one of your skin cells that day."

"First of all, that splinter was huge and killed more than just one skin cell," he huffed, checking to make sure a train wasn't on its way before hopping onto one of the rails, Lucy following suit and hopping onto the other one. "Second of all, I really don't smoke it to get high. Being high isn't all that fun for me, and it makes me feel like total shit once I come down. Thankfully, I just need a couple drags for it to ease my motion sickness."

"Why don't you just take a pill or something?" she inquired, wobbling a bit. She was about to fall over when he reached out and took her hand, keeping her steady, never once faltering in his own steps. "Don't they make about a million different over-the-counter medications that help with motion sickness?"

"They do, and I've tried a shit load of different kinds, but they all give me stupid side effects that are just as bad as the motion sickness itself."

"Fair enough. Do what you need to do."

They fell into a comfortable silence, balancing along the rails like they used to do. Natsu eventually let go of her hand, favoring to hop onto her rail and walk in front of her, facing her as he took backward strides. Her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance, hating and admiring how coordinated he was.

"So, what's life like at Magnolia Academy for Miss Lucy Heartfilia?" he almost interrogated her, his voice akin to a radio host interviewing a guest. His tone made her laugh, holding her arms out to the side to keep her balance.

"It's pretty good," she admitted, keeping her eyes on her feet. "I've been taking some really interesting classes."

He scoffed, shoving his hands into his pockets, his thumbs hooking through his belt loops. "Class can be interesting?"

"Well, my electives are interesting. Math is a drag, and I've never been good at any kind of science, but I'm also taking creative writing, photography, graphic design, Fiorean history, and Latin. I really wanted to take a class on Greek mythology, but they were filled up until next semester."

"Well, aren't you fancy?" he jested, a teasing smirk dancing on his lips whilst he gave her a light push. She squeaked as she stumbled, waving her arms frantically in attempt to steady herself. She sent him a halfhearted glare, her cheeks puffed out. He laughed, loving how cute she was. Her pout was exactly the same, just as it was when they were little. "Why are you taking crazy art classes? I thought you were more of a… language and theater and history kinda girl."

"A girl can change," she snapped indignantly. "Besides, when I have an opportunity to take a class that I wouldn't typically be able to, why wouldn't I take that opportunity? You know?" When all she got was a light chuckle as a response, she sighed, her gaze dropping down to the tracks. Natsu was quick to notice the shift in her demeanor, his grin being replaced with a frown of concern.

"What's up?" he asked, his teasing tone from earlier now sobered. Lucy sighed once again, turning on the metal rail and hopping off, sitting down on the ground beside it. Natsu followed, leaning his weight back onto his hands as he patiently waited for her to say what was on her mind. It didn't take very long, her voice cutting through the silence as she pulled her knees to her chest and rested her arms on top of them.

"If I'm being completely honest, my classes are the only things that I've actually been enjoying," she confessed, her eyes trained on the birds that preened in a nearby puddle.

Natsu's brow furrowed, not expecting that answer. "What do you mean? You haven't made any friends yet?"

"No, I have," she clarified with a shake of her head. "But… I hate how I was enrolled. It makes me feel so fake, like I cheated."

"But… didn't you get a scholarship by submitting your work into a contest?"

"I lied to you yesterday." She exhaled sharply, resting her chin on top of her arms. She turned her head away from him, but he didn't miss the angry look in her eyes. "It's true that I submitted a story, and while they said it was good, that isn't why they wanted me." Natsu frowned, having a hunch he already knew the answer to the question that burned in the back of his head. He didn't have the chance to ask her before she gave him the answer, almost whispering it under her breath. "They wanted me because of who my father is, thought that having a Heartfilia attend their school would polish up their appearance. They offered me a place at the academy, but my father turned them down until they played their 'scholarship' card. So everybody won. The school gets to have a Heartfilia in their classrooms, my father didn't have to lose a single Jewel, and I get to attend one of the greatest schools in the country. As a cheat."

"You're not a cheat," he said firmly, grabbing her shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze. "Your father's the cheat." He clicked his tongue in annoyance, his eyes rolling as if it were a reflex. "That school… the principal there is a giant douche."

She lifted her head, her eyes wide as she turned to face him. "You know the principal?"

"Yeah. I used to go there. I got in because of my music. The principal used to be this old guy named Makarov, and he was really cool. He knew what I had been going through, so when shit got tough, he would help me out." He scooted forward a little bit so that he could lay on his back, one arm tucked beneath his head as he looked up at the sky. "I would get into a lot of trouble, mostly just to piss off Acno and Dimaria. Gramps would scold me, but he would always give me another chance. Then he got sick and had to retire. He was replaced with the fucker that works there now. He's an elitist prick who doesn't care about anything but himself and his money. He took one look at me, read over my record and saw where I came from, and expelled me the instant I stepped out of line."

Lucy laid down beside him, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "Eh, don't be. With Gramps gone, it would've happened sooner or later."

She glanced at him. "What kind of trouble did you get into?"

"Typical stuff. Fights, skipping class, not turning in homework, vandalism." He noticed Lucy's eyes widen in surprise, thinking the worst case scenario when it came to vandalism. He laughed. "Nothing super bad. I would just draw on desks and lockers mostly."

She nodded, his answer settling her nerves a bit. "What finally got you expelled?"

His expression turned sour in an instant. "Tch. I punched out a kid who teased me about being in foster care, said my parents probably lit the fire themselves so they wouldn't have to deal with me any longer." Lucy gasped, her heart sinking into her stomach like a stone.

 _Who was that terrible to even suggest something like that?_

"Worst part was, he only got a day of detention. But I was expelled on the spot."

"That's disgusting," Lucy fumed, her shock melding into anger. She positively loathed people like that, people who got away with just about anything because they were privileged, while people like Natsu, people who didn't come from money or power, got punished for even the smallest of things. She wanted to know who this kid was, so that she could go back to school and give him a nice Lucy Kick straight to his groin, and perhaps another to his teeth. And then she'd go for the principal, make him pay for being such a heartless cretin.

"Let's do it."

Lucy blinked at the sudden voice, bringing her out of her thoughts. She regarded him with a questioning glance. "Do what?"

Natsu sat up with a large grin. "Let's get back at them."

At that moment, Lucy realized she'd voiced her thoughts out loud. Her eyes widening with realization, she sat up as well, shaking her head. "No, Natsu, we can't do that. I could get in major trouble for–"

"Well, duh, we wouldn't be able to just walk straight up to either of them in broad daylight, as much as I would like to do that. We could–"

"No, Natsu," she interrupted him, clamping a hand to his shoulder as if to ground him. "We can't do anything. I don't want to risk losing my scholarship."

"Come on, Luce, live a little," he prodded, giving her a nudge. "Let's get back at Principal Fucktard by breaking into his office and… rearranging it."

"You can't be serious!"

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

"No, and that's what scares me! We can't break into his office, Natsu! That's a crime! We could go to jail!"

A mischievous smirk crawled onto his lips. "Only if we get caught." Lucy stared at him for a long moment. She scoffed and turned away, getting ready to stand up. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to him. "C'mon. We could get at least a little bit of revenge on him for expelling me, and letting you in just because you would be a pretty cover girl for the school. You know you want to."

"Natsu," she sighed, rubbing her face.

"Don't think about the 'what-ifs'. Let's just do it. I won't let you get in trouble. I promise."

Lucy held his gaze, conflicted. A part of her wanted to go along with his plan, the thrill exciting her down to the core. But the other part of her was… less enthused. So many things could go wrong. But something in his eyes made her disregard that fact. She could trust him, she knew, and the longer he kept his eyes on hers, the more her resolved chipped away.

 _Fuck it._

* * *

Lucy felt as though her heart was going to burst from her chest at any moment. This was such a bad idea. She should have shut it down immediately, not go along with it. But she was in too deep to back out now. Natsu was on his way, and she didn't want to leave him hanging. She probably should, or at least talk him out of it once he got there, so that they could just have a nice night together in her dorm. That sounded way less dangerous.

She pulled out her phone, turning on the screen to check if he'd sent her any other messages. He hadn't, so she let her phone scan her thumbprint before going into his text thread, rereading over the ones he'd sent her a while ago.

 _ **I'll start to head down there soon. Meet me at the front of the campus ;)**_

She'd listened to him, currently sitting on the steps leading up to the main building's entrance. It was a little passed midnight, and the only light came from the street lamps, leaving her in relative darkness. She wasn't afraid of the dark, but it was different that night. Every single one of her nerves were on edge, her knee bouncing anxiously as her eyes scanned the area, having adjusted to the darkness a while ago. Desperate to relax, she lifted her head toward the sky, focusing on the light of the stars.

They were much more visible in Magnolia than they were in Crocus, one of the things she hated most about living there. Her mother was fascinated with astronomy, and would often tell her stories about the constellations and the planets alike. The night sky felt like one of the last connections Lucy had to her mother, and not being able to see many of them whilst in Crocus made her feel all the more alone. Her eyes scanned the heavens, trying to spot any constellation she could. She almost immediately found the Big Dipper, although that one was well known and not all that hard to find. Near it, however, she spotted a part of Draco, but was unable to find the rest of it, the stars being too bright and too dense that night to get a clear image.

Too wrapped up in her thoughts, she neglected to hear the approaching footsteps until she felt a hand suddenly clamp onto her shoulder, giving her a shake.

"Boo!"

Lucy, just barely holding back a screech, swung her elbow toward the figure that seemingly materialized out of nowhere beside her, feeling it collide with what felt like teeth, and leapt to her feet, ready to fight whoever planned to hurt her. Her shock melted into confusion when the pained and equally shocked grunt registered in her ears, her eyes widening upon seeing Natsu splayed over the steps with a hand over his mouth.

"Natsu?" she called, narrowing her eyes.

"It's me!" he whined, his voice stifled by his hand.

Realizing she'd struck him in the teeth, she dropped down beside him, gently trying to pull his hand away from his mouth. "Oh my god, are you okay?"

He groaned as he let her tug at his hand, revealing his mouth set in a pained wince. They both inspected his palm for blood, relieved when there was none. He hissed through his teeth, running his tongue along them to soothe the ache.

"Yeah, I think so," he grumbled, sending her a lighthearted glare. "Nice elbow."

"I'm so sorry," she crooned apologetically, tenderly grasping his chin and angling his face to examine him. "You shouldn't sneak up on me like that."

"Noted," he grunted, his lips twitching into a grin, letting her know there were no hard feelings. She returned it, a light red blush fanning over her cheeks while she helped him to his feet. Once he stood, he threw his arms into the air with a dramatic huff, as if he'd just stuck a landing whilst doing gymnastics, causing her to snicker.

"Alright, you goof," she snorted, her hands settling on her hips. "How do you plan on getting in?" She emphasized her question by nodding her head toward the front doors. Natsu followed where she indicated, his mouth curling into a mischievous smirk. He reconnected his gaze with hers as he reached into his pants pocket, pulling out a lockpick.

"Not a problem." He ascended the stairs and kneeled in front of the doors, getting to work.

Lucy lifted a suspicious brow as she joined him, folding her arms across her chest and regarding him with disdain. "And _why_ , exactly, do you have a lockpick just lying around?"

"Life's more exciting when you live on the edge, Luce." He shot her a cheeky grin and a wink, just charming enough to get Lucy to smile and shake her head, exhaling heavily. When he turned back to his task at hand, she anxiously looked over her shoulders, scanning the courtyard for any potential hitches in their plan.

"And…" Natsu drawled, bringing Lucy's attention back to him as the door clicked. He stood up and pulled it open, a prideful smirk dancing among his features. "Voilà." He gestured into the building with a slight bow of his head. "After you."

She scoffed, but smiled nonetheless, stepping into the building. "Well, aren't you a gentleman."

He only laughed, following her inside and quietly closing the door behind him. "Gotta balance out the whole 'breaking and entering' thing somehow, right?" She didn't dignify that comment with a response, instead taking a gander around the hall. The school held a much different atmosphere at night than it did during the day. The halls were only alight with the emergency lights, one of them flickering in the distance, creating goosebumps along Lucy's arms. It felt like she was in a horror movie, something bad just waiting to happen, lurking around the corner. Her conscience was finally starting to overpower her wish to just go with the flow and have fun with Natsu, keeping her nailed to the ground while he took long strides toward the principal's office. He halted once he noticed she wasn't following him, looking at her from over his shoulder.

"Luce?" he called, stepping to the side to face her more directly. "You comin'?"

"We shouldn't be here," she fretted, lifting her arms to wrap around herself. Her eyes jumped around, glancing back and forth across the area. She took a small step backwards toward the door, but didn't move beyond that. "This was a bad idea."

Natsu frowned. He knew that she was wary about this whole plan to begin with, but he didn't realize that she was this uncomfortable. Although, he understood why. He was a giant heap of nerves as well, but he supposed he was better at hiding it than she was. He rubbed his neck as guilt washed over him. He thought she would have been down for this, but now he realized he might've been pushing it.

"If you didn't want to do this, you didn't have to come, you know."

"You really wanted to do this, though," she countered, her eyes finally landing on him, but only for a moment. Once her eyes connected with his, she could feel those enchanting emerald orbs turning her insides to mush. Unable to take it, her eyes dropped to the floor, staring at her feet as they shuffled. "You seemed so excited and I didn't want to bum you out."

His expression turned incredulous, a soft, humorless laugh escaping his lungs. "Luce, I didn't want you to force yourself to do something that you're uncomfortable with. I never wanted that. It's just that, with how you were talking, it sounded like you wanted to do something crazy. When you tried to say no, I could tell that you… actually wanted to do it, but you were too scared of getting in trouble. Or at least, that's what I thought."

"I do want to do something crazy," she pressed, hugging herself tighter. "I'm tired of having my life being already paved, of having everything just handed to me on a silver platter. I wanted to… live on the edge, even if just for one night." She swallowed down her nerves and lifted her head to face him. "I… I wanted to be like you."

Natsu softened his features, sighing slowly as he looked off to the side and stuffed his hands into his pockets. His heart kicked up a notch at her words, thankful it was dark enough that the pink tint to his cheeks most likely wasn't visible to her. After a moment of silence, he cleared his throat, looking back at her.

"Well," he began, shrugging his shoulders and gesturing around them, "we're already inside. What could we do that would help you relax, but also allow you to…" He paused with a grin, "live on the edge?"

Lucy bit her lower lip, gnawing gently while she pondered over his question. A light bulb figuratively blinked above her head, an idea hitting her.

"Well… there is _one_ thing."

* * *

"This is really what you want?" Natsu questioned, amusement evident in his voice as he picked the second lock of the night. He glanced at Lucy from over his shoulder, snickering when he saw her puffing her cheeks out in annoyance.

"You asked if there was _anything_ that would help me relax," she snapped, smacking him gently upside the head. "And this will help me relax."

"I'm not judging," he laughed, turning his attention back to the lock. "I was just surprised, is all. I wasn't expecting this."

She clasped her hands together, fidgeting as she bit her lower lip. "Well," she began, shifting her weight around on her feet, "it's always looked like fun in the movies." Natsu only chuckled in response, his eyes brightening when he managed to get the door to the school's pool house unlocked. He stood up and opened it, holding it open for her. She grinned, the excitement on her face practically making her glow as she stepped inside.

"I have to hand it to you, Natsu," she paused, sending him a radiant grin, "your lock-picking skills are quite impeccable."

He beamed. "Why, thank you." Lucy giggled, giddily making her way toward the entrance to the girls' locker room. She halted when she saw her friend trying to follow her, holding her hand out and pressing it to his chest to keep him from progressing.

"Nah, ah, ah, you perv," she teased, gesturing to the sign on the door. "This is the _girls'_ locker room. No boys allowed."

Natsu huffed, crossing his arms. "So? The only girl that's gonna be in there at this hour is you." Lucy only shook her head with a playful smirk, wordlessly pointing toward the boys' locker room across the hall. He released a dramatic groan, spinning on his heel. "Fine. Weirdo."

She scoffed. "I am _not_ weird!"

"Whatever you say, Luce," he chuckled, waving at her as he disappeared through the doorway. "See you on the other side." With a _hmph_ , Lucy walked through her respective door as well, blinking when she was met with complete darkness. There were no emergency lights in the locker room, apparently. Blindly reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her phone and turned on its flashlight, navigating her way through the maze of lockers, none of which were hers. She didn't typically have a reason to be in the pool house during school, which meant she didn't have anything to change into. Which also meant, she was just realizing, that unless she wanted to swim in her clothes, she was going to have to swim in her underwear. In front of Natsu. She felt her cheeks heating up with a bashful blush. She wasn't wearing the most scandalous underwear she had in her possession, but was still a bit intimidating to know that Natsu was going to see that much of her. Sure, he's seen her in a swimsuit before…

...when they were little.

The circumstances were a bit different now.

She almost tripped on one of the benches when a light suddenly appeared through the doorway that led to the pool, her heart stopping for a brief moment, thinking they'd been caught. She relaxed a second later, realizing that soft blue glow was nothing to be afraid of. Natsu must've figured out how to turn the pool lights on. She was thankful for that, not caring much about the idea of swimming in complete darkness. She didn't need that when she had so many irrational fears of the water.

Turning off her phone's flashlight as she stepped into the large open room, lit up only by the blue of the pool, Lucy was shocked to see Natsu shirtless, his back to her while he undid the fastenings to his pants. She admired the view, able to see the muscles in his back in spite of the poor lighting, moving beneath his smooth, tanned skin while he fiddled with his belt. She was also quick to notice another tattoo he'd failed to mention to her: a dragon – dark red, it seemed, but with the lighting, it was hard for her to tell for sure – its wings spanning out across his shoulder blades, its head positioned at the base of his neck, its mouth open as if it were in the middle of a mighty roar, and its tail cascading down his spine, stopping just barely passed the waistband of his pants. She allowed a soft chuckle.

 _Not an obsession, he says._

Realization suddenly dawned upon her when she saw he'd gotten his pants undone, currently in the process of removing them. She gasped sharply and turned away, heat exploding among her features. Natsu heard the sound, turning his head to look at her. He lifted an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Wh-what're you doing?!" she squeaked, her voice coming out an octave higher than intended.

"Uh… taking my pants off?" he clarified, coming out as a question rather than a statement. He thought it was fairly obvious what his intentions were. "I'd rather not swim in jeans, y'know?"

"O-Oh… right."

He laughed lightheartedly, stepping out of his pants and kicking them to the side, where the rest of his clothes laid, along with his phone. "Were you not planning on swimming in your underwear?"

Misunderstanding his teasing remark, she let out an indignant huff, her cheeks still aflame as she turned her gaze back to him. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but I was _not_ planning on skinny dipping tonight, thank you very much!"

It was Natsu's turn to get flustered, his cheeks and the tips of his ears turning the same color as his hair. "Um, that's not what I meant. I meant… if you were planning on swimming fully clothed."

Lucy's blush increased by three-fold. "Oh."

"But, I mean… you can if you wanna. It's a nice image." He snickered, a teasing smirk playing on his lips.

"Pervert!" she spat with a grin, running over to him and giving him a good shove, pushing him into the pool. She lifted her hands to block the water from the splash he made, although it didn't do much. He resurfaced a moment later, wiping his eyes before sending her a playful glare.

"Alright, you asked for it! Get in here so I can kick your butt!"

She giggled, shifting her weight onto one foot. One of her hands perched on her hip, while the other placed a finger to her chin. She hummed in feigned thought. "You make a tempting offer, but I'm afraid I have to decline."

"If you don't get in," he warned, "I'm gonna splash ya."

She gasped. "You wouldn't _dare_."

"You wanna test that theory?" To make a point, he raised his hands to the surface and cupped them. All he would need was one sharp push. When Lucy didn't move, he grinned from ear to ear. "Gave ya a fair warning." He surged his hands forward, the water being launched out of the pool and onto her clothes. She shrieked briefly, her hands going up to deflect the water once again.

"You wanna play like that, huh? Fine!" She turned away from him, grabbing the hem of her shirt and lifting it up over her head. Natsu smile faltered, his breath hitching in his throat. His cheeks reddened and his heart rate started to kick up as she tossed her shirt to the side, shimmying out of her pants next. His eyes raked along the vision before him, his mind plummeting into the gutter. The pool lights caused her pale skin to appear almost iridescent, practically glowing and contrasting starkly with her dark blue underwear. He only snapped back to reality when she turned around and starting running toward the pool. She jumped at the edge, tucking her legs to her chest as she came straight for him. He narrowly ducked out of the way, missing her by a hair, but instead got a giant splash of water to the face.

He huffed and shook his head, clearing his vision of the excess water. He smirked and moved behind her once she got to the surface. She pushed her hair out of her eyes, jerking when he suddenly spoke up from over her shoulder. "You don't still have that irrational fear of a shark attacking you in a pool, do ya?" he taunted. "Because it looks to me, like a fairy has lost her way and strayed into the wrong cove." He swam around her teasingly, humming the "Jaws" theme. She scoffed and splashed him.

"Yes, I do, you idiot," she laughed. "You're starting to freak me out!" He laughed as well, halting in front of her as he returned the splash, the two of them starting a splash war. She pushed off the wall, moving behind him and swiftly grabbing onto his shoulders. She hoisted herself up, planting her knees to his upper back, the sudden extra weight allowing her to successfully submerge him completely into the water. He shrugged her off, whirling around to face her once he resurfaced.

"Ah, so now you want to play a dunking game?" he jested, his grin letting Lucy know she'd made a mistake. "You _really_ wanna test my dunking abilities?"

"I'm sorry!" she squeaked, turning around and trying to swim away. "I'm sorry, you win!" She gasped when he clamped a hand around her ankle, giving her body a swift tug back toward him.

"Nah, ah, ah," he sang, fastening his arms around her abdomen. "You're not getting away that easily."

"Natsu, please!" she begged, her voice still laced with laughter despite her urgent tone. She squirmed against his grip, trying to pry his arms off of her but to no avail. He was locked in tight and had no intention of letting her go. "I know what you're going to do! Please don't do it!"

"If you knew this was gonna happen, you shouldn't have started a fight you couldn't finish, Luce." He hoisted her up out of the water a bit, repositioning his arms. "You ready?"

Her squirming became more fervent. "No!"

"Here we go!"

"Let me go!" she cried, her voice escalating into a scream.

"German…"

"Natsu!"

 _"...Suplex!"_

Lucy shrieked as he suddenly threw himself back, yanking her with him. They both went under the water, Lucy still resisting against Natsu's grasp. He held her in place for a couple more seconds before releasing her, the blonde being the first one back to the surface. She coughed, feeling her nose and throat start to burn from the chlorine. She gave Natsu a shove once he came up for air as well.

"I got water up my nose, you jerk!"

"Hey, you had plenty of time to brace yourself," he argued, caught up in chuckles. She shot him a glare that held no real anger, giving him one last splash to the face. He took it straight on, only closing his eyes to defend himself. He snickered. "You'd think you would have learned by now. You've never won at dunking battles against me." He threw his fists into the air in triumph. "The German Suplex always wins! It seems this shark has bested the fairy yet again!"

"Shut up, you dork," she snorted, rolling her eyes. She smiled warmly, placing a hand on his shoulder and leaning over him to observe his tattoo. "Besides, you're more of a dragon than you are a shark."

His features softened, turning a bit so that she could get a better look. "Do you like it? I got it for my dad. He used to have one just like it, remember?"

She nodded. "That's right, he did. I thought I'd seen something similar to it before." She tenderly traced one of the wings. "It looks incredible, Natsu." She gulped and nervously lifted her eyes to connect with his, feeling her cheeks darken for the zillionth time when she saw he was already looking at her. Her voice dropped to barely above a whisper. "Your father would've loved it."

The corner of his mouth twitched into a small, boyish half-grin. "You think so?"

"I know so." She offered him a warm smile, to which he returned, but it fell after a couple of seconds. His eyes dropped, staring at the space between them.

"I miss them, Luce," he whispered.

Lucy frowned, lifting a hand to gently cup his jaw, softly stroking his cheek with her thumb. "I know you do." He sighed airily, tilting his head to lean into her touch, his eyes falling closed. His Adam's apple bobbed in his throat as he swallowed.

"I'm sorry," he breathed, opening his eyes and looking into hers, feeling himself melt under her stare. "For being the biggest asshole to you before you left."

"It's okay," she dismissed, shaking her head. He mimicked the action, raising his hand to clasp her wrist. She thought he was going to pull her hand away, but surprised her when he merely pressed it closer to his cheek, holding it in place.

"No, it's not. You didn't deserve it. It wasn't your fault that you were leaving." His eyes dropped from her gaze for a moment before flickering back up, his other hand clutching her hip under the water, pulling her closer to him. The action caused her heart to race, and she felt the urge to look away, her shyness trying to claw to the surface. But she couldn't look away, his deep green eyes holding onto her like a vice. Her throat was suddenly dry, making the task of swallowing mildly difficult. "You're my best friend, Lucy."

"And you're mine," she said almost instinctively, her free hand coming up to rest on his forearm. Her heart seemed to skip a couple beats when he started to lean in.

"I never want anything to ruin that ever again."

She shook her head, leaning forward to meet him halfway, her voice lowering to a breathless whisper. "Neither do I."

Just as their lips were a mere hair's width apart, Natsu abruptly pulled away, his head snapping to the side and his eyes wide. Lucy blinked, stunned. "What is it?"

"Shh," he shushed, straining his ears as he listened. Was he just hearing things? His heart sank when it was made clear that he wasn't, that he'd actually heard the doors to the pool house opening, and then hearing them close again. He started to pull her toward the edge of the pool, whispering to her. "We gotta go."

"What? Why–"

"Is someone there?"

The third voice made Lucy's heart just about stop, realizing what was happening. She didn't stay shocked for long though, putting some hustle into her movements as she and Natsu climbed out of the pool, the water falling off their bodies and onto the floor sounding almost deafening in the nearly silent pool house. They quickly gathered up their clothes, Natsu grabbing onto her hand as the both of them broke out into a run. They headed toward the emergency exit, pushing the door open just as the voice called out again.

"Hey!"

They ignored it, Natsu tugging on her hand and leading her toward the parking lot. "It's too risky for you to try and sneak back to your dorm now," he panted amidst their sprint. "You're staying with me tonight."

"You want me to stay in the same house as the guy who threatened me to never step foot in his house again?" she questioned incredulously.

"You got any other ideas?" he shot back, letting go of her hand as they reached his car. She didn't answer, climbing into the passenger seat. Natsu followed her lead, getting into the car as well. He dug through his pants for his keys and tossed his clothes into the back seat when he found them, starting the ignition and pulling out of the parking lot. He exhaled sharply, watching the school disappear in his rear view mirror. He laughed, bouncing in his seat. "That was too close for my liking."

"Mine too," Lucy concurred, laughing as well. They fell into a comfortable silence, both of them panting as they caught their breath. As the adrenaline died down, Natsu stomach started to churn, causing him to drive a bit faster so they reached his house quicker. Lucy felt her heart drop and her throat run dry when his house came into view, her good feelings from before dissipating in a moment's notice. He parked on the curb, reaching back to grab his clothes. He noticed her staring straight ahead, her eyes unblinking and her hands fidgeting in her lap. He frowned, gently touching her hand.

"Hey," he called softly. She turned to him, shaking a little. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, accompanying it with a smile. "I'll have you out of here before he wakes up tomorrow, okay? I won't let anything bad happen. Okay?" She only nodded, swallowing hard to try and get the lump out of her throat. Natsu understood why she was so anxious. He was too. He would make sure to set an alarm to wake them up early tomorrow morning so that he could sneak her out. "Let's go."

To avoid being heard by his foster parents, they climbed into his room through the window. He gulped, seeing as she was still in her underwear. He tried not to stare as he lifted her up to his bedroom window, holding her steady as she pulled it open and crawled inside. He tossed her their clothes before leaping up to grab the windowsill, heaving himself up and crawling inside without any trouble. He silently closed the window behind him, Lucy's whispering making him jolt.

"Ugh, now my clothes smell like chlorine," she grumbled, setting her shirt back onto his desk. He turned to observe her, the sudden attention making her painfully aware that she was half-naked and in his bedroom. She gulped, instinctively lifting her arms to cover herself, her eyes focusing on anything but him.

Not wanting her to be any more uncomfortable than she already was, he went to his closet and pulled out an old t-shirt and a pair of shorts. He cleared his throat and handed them to her, looking off to the side as a soft blush stained his cheeks.

"Here," he offered. "Something you can sleep in."

Lucy glanced at his face, and then down at the clothes in his hand. An identical blush bloomed on her face, accepting his offer. "Thank you." She stood there awkwardly, holding the clothes to her chest. Natsu lifted an eyebrow at her, confused as to why she was just standing there. Her blush darkened when she motioned for him to turn around.

"Why?"

"B-Because I'm not going to sleep in my wet bra and panties, you dolt," she stammered. She repeated the motion. "Just turn around!"

"Oh. Right." He did as told, turning his back to her while she got dressed. He took the opportunity to grab his phone, setting an alarm for the next morning. He really didn't want to risk Acnologia bumping into her again. He wasn't sure what would happen if he did, but he didn't want to find out either.

"Keep to your side, alright?" Lucy warned him as she crawled onto his bed, causing him to realize that she'd finished changing.

Trying to lighten to mood and allow her to relax some, he pouted cutely, folding his arms across his chest. "Aw, no cuddle time?" he whined, waiting until her back was turned so that he could change into some dry pajamas as well. "We used to cuddle all the time, though."

"When we were kids. It's different now." She glanced at him once she felt him getting into bed beside her. "I mean it, Natsu. Stick to your side."

He chuckled. "Can't make any promises."

* * *

 **Author's Note: hey, guys! So sorry for the long hiatus! Life just gets in the way, y'know?**

 **Welp, this chapter was a bit longer than the first one. I had a specific ending for this chapter, and things just kept flowing until I reached that goal. I hope it wasn't slow at some points. This chapter actually would've gone up a lot sooner if my beta reader was on top of things and didn't take forever to actually read/edit it. Sheesh, it's almost like she's got a life and stuff. xD**

 **You know I'm kidding! I really appreciate everything you do for me! You are my bestie, after all. :D**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I'll try my hardest to get the next one out in a timely matter! Don't forget to leave a review!**


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